Pacific leaders at UN General Assembly: Setback for Fiji rehabilitation, PNG ready to raise West Papua

A fortnightly roundup of policy news in the Pacific by the Pacific Institute of Public Policy and the Development Policy Centre.

 

 

Condolences on the passing of Chronox Manek, Chief Ombudsman of Papua New Guinea.

POLITICS : Pacific leaders at UN General Assembly

In the first meeting of its kind, United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon met Pacific Island Forum leaders on the sidelines of the 67th UN General Assembly in New York. Mr Ban emphasised the importance of Pacific island countries’ continued leadership and active engagement in addressing global challenges.

In speeches to the General Assembly, Pacific island leaders were critical of the international community, imploring richer countries to do more to address climate change issues and increase assistance to Pacific island countries. New Zealand foreign minister Murray McCully echoed calls for greater support to the region, particularly in relation to the management of fishing resources and development of renewable energy.

On the sidelines of the general assembly Fiji effected a significant diplomatic coup with its election as chair of the influential Group of 77, the first time a Pacific island nation has been elected to that position.

Setback for Fiji rehabilitation

 

In what has been seen as a setback in Fiji’s political rehabilitation, an International Labour Organization mission was expelled by the military government apparently without reason. The expulsion was unexpected, not least because the mission was in Fiji at the invitation of the military government to investigate claims by local trade unions that workers’ rights were not being respected. The Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khayum denied an ‘ejection’, stating that the delegation had been asked to leave ahead of a future mission to operate under revised terms of reference.

In the aftermath of this incident a prominent Fiji unionist labelled as ‘harassment’ police having prevented him from boarding a flight to China.

PNG ready to raise West Papua issue

 

For the first time in years PNG, it would seem, is prepared to engage with Indonesia over decades of alleged human rights ‘abuses’ in neighbouring West Papua. PM Peter O’Neill’s position stands in contrast to one of West Papua’s traditional supporters, Vanuatu, in light of PM Kilman’s recent statement at the UN General Assembly which failed to mention West Papua.

Elsewhere, questions have arisen as to whether West Papua will be Australia’s new East Timor. In addition, New Zealand’s public pension fund has pulled out of Freeport’s Grasberg mine in West Papua due to breaches of human rights by Indonesian security forces. This is the first time a government fund has acted on corruption and human rights violations by Indonesia’s security forces.

More News: http://devpolicy.org/pacific-buzz

 

PNG Prime Minister to take strong stand over West Papua ‘abuses’ with Indonesia

Pacific Scoop:  Report – By Scott Waide in Post Moresby

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill speaks about his new new West Papua strategy in the EMTV interview. Video: PNG’s EMTV

After decades of maintaining a relatively neutral stance, the Papua New Guinea government will finally make a strong representation to Indonesia to raise concerns over alleged human rights abuses committed by the Indonesian military in the West Papua region.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said in an interview with EMTV on Friday that the Foreign Affairs Department will deliver a diplomatic note expressing the concerns of Papua New Guinea citizens over the two Melanesian provinces of Papua and West Papua to the Indonesian government.

The response comes days after representatives of more than 4000 Lutheran women called on Peter O’Neill to look into the difficulties faced by West Papuans.

The public appeal for government attention to the West Papuan cause was made by Rose Muingepe, a Lutheran Women’s representative who was attending a conference in Mumeng outside of Lae City.

“We are asking the government to raise the plight of the West Papuans on the floor of Parliament.  We know that women are being raped, men are being tortured and we want our government to pay attention to the issue.

Diplomatic note
Prime Minister O’Neill  said a diplomatic note would be passed on to the Indonesian government through PNG’s Jakarta embassy.

“We need to respect international conventions made in organisations like the United Nations.   We also need to respect that Indonesia is a part of those organisations.

“Through those conventions we will deliver a diplomatic note raising the concerns of our citizens over some of the reports that we are getting from West Papua on human rights abuses.”

This is the first time, in years that a Papua New Guinean prime minister has acknowledged human rights abuses in Papua.

Prime Minster O’Neill will also be bringing the West Papua issue to the attention of the Indonesian President in an upcoming democracy conference in Bali later this year.

At last month’s Pacific Islands Forum, Pacific Scoop’s Henry Yamo reported following an interview with Vanuatu Deputy Prime Minister Ham Lini that Pacific leaders did not back Vanuatu’s supports for West Papua.

Source: EMTV News